Pakistan's performance came under scanner after their underwhelming campaign in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023. Babar Azam's men kicked off their World Cup campaign on a robust note with to back-to-back wins in their first two matches. But what happened next was remotely expected from a team of Pakistan's repute. The Men in Green after notching victories against Netherlands and Sri Lanka, went on to lose their next four matches which jolted their semifinal chance. They first lost against India and then followed it up with embarrassing defeats against Australia, Afghanistan, South Africa.
Currently, Pakistan's semifinal chances hangs in balance as they are sitting fifth on the points table with just six points in seven games and a Net Run Rate of -0.024. However, mathematically they are not fully out of the semifinal contention as Pakistan still have two games in their hand. Babar's army will next face New Zealand and then take on defending champions England. And if they manage to win both the matches, they might make it to the semis, hoping favourable outcomes from other teams.
Meanwhile, right ahead of their clash against New Zealand on November 4, Pakistan's star all-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed came down heavily on the critics amid team's lacklustre show in the ongoing ODI World Cup.
While lashing out at the critics Iftikhar said,"Jab hum haarte hain toh kehte ho ke hum biryani khatay hain lekin jab hum jeet'te hain toh kyun nahin kehte ke hum biryani khatay hain? (When we lose, they say we eat biryani, but when we win, why don't they say that we eat biryani?)
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Apparently, Pakistan team after arriving in Hyderabad for their World Cup campaign received a warm welcome with plates of biryani. Babar & Co. enjoyed it a lot and some of the players even went on to praise the food in the historical city of Hyderabad. The Pakistani team even went out for dinner at Jewel of Nizam, one of the most popular restaurants in the city and had delicious food.
But the moment Pakistan started their losing spree in the ongoing ODI World Cup, the critics went after the Men in Green and started trolling them.
Also, couple of days before ahead of their clash against New Zealand, the Pakistani team ordered biryani in Kolkata but from Zomato and not from the five-star hotel where they were staying. The team wanted a local variety of the Kolkata biryani but it was not available on the hotel menu, thus, they ended up ordering the dish from Zomato. Not only this, they also ordered food items like chap, firni, kebabs, and shahi tukda via Zomato from one of the famous restaurants in Kolkata's Park Circus Area. They also indulged in a heavy breakfast at the hotel that had different types of halal meats in it, India Today reported.
Talking about Pakistan's future in the World Cup 2023, if they manage to beat New Zealand, their next match against defending champions England at Eden Gardens, Kolkata becomes crucial. Pakistan will have to win by a big margin to give a further boost to their NRR. Also, at that time, they will have a clear picture in mind. Before Pakistan go up against Jos Buttler's England, New Zealand will lock horns with Sri Lanka in Bengaluru. However, if Sri Lanka beat New Zealand, it will pave the way for Pakistan. Meanwhile, Afghanistan will face the Netherlands followed by Australia and South Africa. While they are not expected to win all three matches, they have stunned World Champions in their first three wins of the tournament.
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